Today I am starting a new feature that is long overdue. As a frequent budget traveller, I stay in all kinds of places! When you operate the often shoe-string budget I operate and still want good service, you usually have to search harder. I will be reviewing some of the smaller hotels in Abuja and environs as well as the places I stay on my trips. I will also welcome posts from my readers who have had good or bad experiences in their travels. The aim is make hoteliers more sensitive to the needs of their guests. I hope you enjoy and find it useful!
Our first featured property is LAKE CRESCENT HOTEL.
Our first featured property is LAKE CRESCENT HOTEL.
This hotel is set in a quiet neighbourhood in the Jabi area
of Abuja. It is about 5 minutes stroll from the popular Jabi Lake. The hotel passes our
first test with flying colours; It is clean. The hotel staff are courteous, friendly
and professional. They respond quickly to guests’ complains and attend to needs
promptly. The rooms are equipped with comfortable clean beds and a good working
desk. There is wireless service, though rather epileptic at the time we stayed
there. The bathrooms, though tiny, are well supplied with good quality
hotel-branded toiletries. The restaurant is one of the best things about this
pretty property. It serves an amazing Nigerian and foreign menu. The local
dishes are very well prepared and attractively served. It is one of the few places
where you might have a challenge finishing the food if you are not a big eater!
Their pounded yam “roll” and afang (green leafy vegetable) soup are my
favourite. Worth trying any day! I hope the chef is well paid. The hotel boasts
of a small enclosed swimming pool and adequate parking for guests.
On the downside, the property does not have grounds and
there is no garden of any sort. It also had no functional business centre at
the time we visited. Some of the rooms on the ground floor are a bit
claustrophobic in their smallness.
The place is managed by a nice, mild-mannered Asian. It is
not overpriced in in my opinion. All told, Lake crescent hotel gets a big pass
mark from us! In our own rating, it gets a 7/10 and we recommend it highly
